methodwriter85

At which, JJ becomes Will's guardian teen angel.

I think Hoskins has deduced that JJ is his own uncle or something like that. "He's my uncle! Father! Uncle!" If we want to be realistic though....JJ skated in the 2006 and 2010 Olympics...he did fine, but never got gold. (Thus actual Olympic History isn't rewritten.) Since by 2014 he'll be past his prime and he's realizing that if he couldn't get gold at 24 he prolly won't get it at 28, JJ instead decides to retire, and devotes himself to going full-time to school. He's taken classes here and there since 2005, but he only counts as a sophomore. JJ decides to attend school in Chicago, taking advantage of Stefan's old condo, where he can skate on the side and become an assistant coach to a renowned coach that he really looks up to. And now that he's retired, he can go ahead and party as much as he wants to. Or New York. That could be funny, because isn't that where Johnny Weir lives now?

True. If I were honestly interested in Cody and Kevin's storyline I'd sugged for you to expand on Tim's theory- have Cody be insecure about being with a guy as smart as Kevin- but...the story's already pushing 50 chapters, and I rather the rest of the story actually focus on characters that I really care about..

I keep feeling that Matt Barr looks like someone who'd be in one of your stories- mainly because he has that Dutch look you really seem to love, and that California blond hair. Probably that random hook-up Brad had with some surfer named Jan, I think. So what about Sterling Knight for JJ? I keep thinking he hits pretty close- right facial shape, sharper features, right hair color, and the right air of being cute but in a really young and almost feminine way while at the same time looking like he belongs to a WASP family. And he has the same deal of looking much younger than he actually is- I picture JJ being the type of guy who gets carded for an R-rated movie when he's 22. Much like this guy would if he weren't a Disney star. You were thinking Jesse McCartney, but I'm thinking Jesse McCartney looks too All-American-boy-next-door and jock-ish for JJ. Our mutual buddy Dallas kinda agreed with me on that, saying JJ's a little too prissy to look like Jesse McCartney. Jesse McCartney would fit Drew better, actually.

Not really. George Granger is 20, Matt Barr(the guy) is 26. Plus you gotta remember that in the 18th century, people tended to age faster- especially when you consider that George Granger is already married with two kids and has been through a lot of war. I can't imagine George would look all that young. But hmm, that's an interesting take. I was thinking Lark because I'm positive that Mark mentioned Lark having a long Dutchmen's face...I never would have considered Granger. As for photoshop...it would change his hair, but it wouldn't take away the obvious Russian/Eastern European look there. Dude's gotta look WASP.

You and Tim both have pretty good points here- it hasn't really been demonstrated that Cody is intellectually challenging, so I can see why Tim would react the way he has to Cody. By the same token, we haven't really seen Kevin display a keen intellect, and it's only an assumption that Kevin has one because Kevin goes to Stanford. For all we know, Kevin might be one of the guys who's really good at memorizing and test-taking, but is not all that smart.

Psycho Derek from One Tree Hill as Lark? I see Lark as having very blond hair and a long, Dutch-like face. I've been watching youtube clips of Psycho Derek and it struck me that Matt Barr looks close to how I picture Lark in my head.

Heh. You may be right. I just remember our current president talking about turning UD into a world-class university, invoking places like UVA. In reality though, we're really more like Penn State or U Maryland- those are our real peers, not UVA. I like your take, Quonus. There is no in-state tuition for grad programs at UD anymore, so they would be leaning towards out-of-state students...which...why would someone from out-of-state want to attend law school in Delaware when there are so many established law schools in the surrounding areas? Someone seriously needs to scale back the plans for UD's next decade. It's staggering to think about what they're currently building/trying to build for the 2010's- a new medical campus affiliated with Jefferson, a new technology business park, a major stadium upgrade including a new athlete training facility, a new science building, a new dorm, a new dining hall, a new three-story campus bookstore, an expanded student fitness center, and now they want to do a law school as well. This could go very, very badly. The massive expansion of the 90's to the mid-2000's of UD was justified by the massive expansion of enrollment made possible by a major increase in college-aged kids. Now that's over with, and for UD to maintain their numbers and expand they need to now aggressively recruit, especially overseas people. Realistically, some of those plans need to be scaled back if they want to do the law school. Which...considering that there's absolutely no job market in that part of the country for law school grads because the market got so oversaturated, I can't imagine there's really a major student demand for a law school. If they really want to do this, the smart way would be to push for international students, but I'm not sure how that could work. Can law degrees work across countries? I really don't know how that works. I just don't know why UD just can't keep funding the programs its best known for- the business and chemical engineering programs- because those are their biggest assets. Not some law school that's going to flounder.

I was thinking Mark could make JJ into a compulsive shoplifter, ala Winona Ryder. JJ could try to steal about 5k worth of items at Nieman Marcus, all on camera.

Colin Hanks isn't really peers with JJ and Will, either- he was born in 1977. You gotta think in terms of mid/late 80's births in terms of their contemporaries, dude. None of Tom Hanks kids are really around their age. And I don't think JJ is anti-social- far from it- he's just got some 'tude about hockey players. Nice info on USC. I think it'll work. Mark, what do you think? Should Darius become a Trojan?

You're forgetting that JJ doesn't talk to hockey players, save for his brother Matt and Matt's boyfriend, Wade. JJ's a sweet kid, but also just a little bit prissy. I'd like it to have turned out that JJ's unpopular not because he's short, but because the kids at school think he's a stuck-up snob. An interesting twist on the whole "outcast kid" storyline...sometimes kids are outcast because they really don't come off well for one reason or another. Truman Hanks is out, because Truman was born in 1995 like Courtney, and I can't imagine that either JJ or Will would want to hang out with a four-year old. Max Spielberg could be likely, as well as his brother Theo Spielberg- they're about the right age and they're not hockey players. Anyway...USC. Sounds like a good fit for Darius. But is there a pre-law major there? If there isn't, I suppose he could take history or anthro, and then when he rips his LSAT's in half, he'll go to a good law school.

So Darius could realistically get into USC, then? Hmm, I think that could work, then. That could be his back-up to Cal and UCLA, and the one he gets into. San Diego State could be his fourth choice "safety" school. That's another thing that a high school counselor I talked to mentioned- kids start applying to more and more schools. It was around 2003-ish that I remember the Common Application picking up steam as a way to give kids chances at more schools without them having to spend so much money on applying to a dozen schools.

Because the president we had from 1990 until 2007 and the current one are filled with delusions of grandeur? Although this one is a little less crazed- he's just shooting to be on par with UVA.

I thought we could start this thread where we asked questions- namely trivia or what-have you- about the CAP saga, with hopes of either Mark or someone with an iron-clad memory of CAP giving an answer. I'm starting this thread because I was thinking about the careers of the characters, and I realized that I don't know what Ace does. We know that Brad became a venture capitalist, Robbie became a movie producer(and never used his architecture degree), Jack became a doctor, and Claire is a housewife. My gut would say he's a lawyer, but I totally forgot. Mainly because I think Darius is going to be a lawyer, and Darius is basically Ace without the temper problem. Also, does anyone know what the hell happened to Crampton Construction or Isidore's construction company? Did they both just get phased out? I remember thinking it was odd that when JP was talking Claremont renewal plans, he didn't bring up contracting either of the two construction companies in the family to get the construction done on a discount. My guess would be that Crampton Construction is still around, but it's not really run by the Cramptons anymore after JP sold his shares and Jim retired. As for Isidore's company, I'm guessing that Isidore, wanting to focus more on her charity work after becoming involved with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, decided in the late 80's to sell off her company to a large contracting company in San Franciso- maybe Cahill Contractors? I'm pretty sure the last reference where the characters mention that Isidore has a construction company was in Man In Motion- after that, the company seemed to go poof. So I think she must have retired either in the late 80's or the '90's and got rid of her company. Mark?

The entering freshman class of fall 2000....I still think it would have been significantly different as compared to the freshman fall class of 2010. Considering how Blue has described his college search vs. what Tommy B has said about his own, it makes sense that there was a changing of standards throughout that decade. It makes perfect economic sense if you think about it- higher demand equals univerisities being allowed to be much pickier about who they let in, thus increasing their prestigue, thus justifying increasing hikes in tuition. In the late 60's into the mid-1970's, there was a dearth in the amount of births happening in the United States. Many colleges, which had to expand at a furious rate during the 1960's and the 1970's to meet the demand of the Baby Boomer generation, started to see their enrollments shrink throughout the late 1970's and the 1980's because of the resulting smaller pool of college-aged people. It's why the college search was easier for people in Brad's generation(tail-end Baby Boomers born after the crest wave of 1956 but before the start of Gen X in 1965) and your/Marcel's generation(Gen X.) I've had some interesting conversations with professors about those "Baby Bust" college days....not fun for them or the schools, to say the least. Birth rates began to rise again in the late 1970's, and then in the mid-1980's, an echo baby boom began as people in Nick and Brad's age cohort began having children. The bulk of the echo baby boom lasted roughly from about 1977 to 1995, with the crest somewhere in the late 80/s/early '90's. It corresponded to peaks in college enrollment throughout the mid/late 2000's, and colleges could get much, much choosier. Anyway, I like your take on colleges, but as Blue pointed out, Pepperdine or the Catholic universities are out. Brad's relaxed a bit, but I cannot see him willing to pay to send his son to a religious-affiliated school. (Unless of course Darius already has access to his trust fund, but I can't see Darius stepping on Brad's toes and thinking about going to a Catholic school.) I like the idea of San Diego State or something. And it looks like you agree with me on Darius not being able to get into Cal, and probably not get into UCLA. It could actually be a cool scene for Mark to write- Brad comforting Darius over not getting into the top-choice schools he wanted to get into. It'd be realistic and touching at the same time, I think.

Do you have the class of 2004 profiles, though Tim? Using the 2014 statistics feel a little irrevelent, because going by what Blue has talked about, college standards have changed drastically since the late 90's, when Darius did his college search, to now. My guess would be Darius's GPA is around a 3.2 but he did well on the SAT's....he doesn't seem to have extracurriculars, or volunteer work, so my guess would be he'd have to go to an easier party school, like a Cal State. Do well there, and then go off to law school on a bit of a higher level. I defnitely think Berkeley and UCLA are out of the question for Darius at this point, unless JP pulls some major strings or it turns out that Darius is some world-class athlete. But I haven't gotten that vibe from him- he's a social butterfly who cares more about hooking up than grades, and I'd like to see some realistic consequences from that- him not getting into the schools he wants and having to attend schools that aren't that desirable. Brad's college application process was much easier because it was 1980 and the crest of the baby boom was over, and schools were easier to get into. But starting with about the late '90's, the process gets much harder and cutt-throat. That's true. Not sure I see someone like JJ and his Louis Vuitton handbags hanging out at the USC football games, though.

I think UD wants to aim for something on par with American or UPenn, which is going to be expensive as hell.

You know, I've gotten pretty heated in this debate and then the other day I was just thinking..."Huh? Why are we even debating this yet? JJ and Will are in SEVENTH grade." Meaning we don't know what these boys will be like in five years when it's time for college so we can't even really judge yet. Darius, yes- we can debate on that, but considering that these boys are still in middle school and likely haven't figured out what academic subject they're into yet, it's really hard to make that call since we're basing our projection on singular interests. JJ may drop figure skating if he realizes he can't be as good as he wants to be. Will may pick his academic interests over his surfing interests, and thus won't go to a party school like USCB. We can't know that yet because they're still far from that point in their lives. My guess would be Will going to a school on a coast with a great marine biology program(I think that'd be a great mix of a scientific mind like Will's with his love of the ocean), but yeah...Will's only 13, JJ's only fourteen. We can't really say what he'll be like at 17, or what JJ will be like at 18. For Darius, I'd say he goes to UC Irvine or some easy-to-get-into Cal school, and then goes on to law school at UCLA or something like that. Tulane could be cool- I could see Darius enjoying life in the land of Mardi Gras. Kinda funny though- in Delaware, we have a school choice system, and extensive private/magnet/charter school options. So it's like in 8th grade, you're getting a preview of what the college application process is like, because of the way you apply to get into different high schools. I remember when I was in 8th grade the absolute joy I felt when I got into my first-choice high school.. Anyway, back to Lark...I'm hoping it will turn out that Lark had a raging coke addiction, and that's why he was such a dick in A Summer Love.

Heh. Okay there. I wonder if there's any discussion with Widener about how this could affect the enrollment of their law school, since a UD law school would be so close.

I don't know- I just hope Cody runs off with Kevin...never to be heard of again.

My undergrad, University of Delaware, wants to start a law school by 2015. University of Delaware's Law School Aim I can't tell you how bad of an idea I think this is. Delaware's a small state, and it already has a law school, Widner. Delaware's strength is based on the chemical engineering and business program, and I can't see how adding a law school would do anything to enhance the university. Programs are already getting cut- like the journalism major- and I imagine that will only get worse if they go ahead with the idea. The greater Philadelphia metro area is already so saturated with lawyers. And think about it-Penn, Virginia, Georgetown, GW, Villanova, Temple, Rutgers, American, and the NYC schools (NYU, Columbia, Fordham) are all a train ride away. There are so many top-notch law schools in this area that I can't see how a law school at UD would be anything but a third-choice back-up plan. Plus, University of Delaware no longer offers in-state tuition rates, so why would any state resident want to pay 25k a year for a law school program when they could go somewhere established for not that much more money? University of Delaware is ALREADY planning on building a medical campus(allied with Jefferson), an expansion to the football stadium, expansion to the student gym, a new dorm, a new science building, a new dining hall- all within this decade- and now they want to do this? If UD ends up bankrupt I wouldn't be surprised. I just feel bad for the kids going/will go there who are having to pay for all this stuff. If UD experiences an enrollment drop because of the 1990's baby bust, they're going to be SCREWED.

Damn. Burn. Cody's not book-smart, but one of his things is that he's supposed to be people-smart...he can read a person like that. That's his strength as a character. Still, I feel fatigue with this character, considering that he's been a love interest for the main protagonist for three stories.

It looks like Mark is setting up Kevin as Cody's "forever" guy...but...I dunno. Like Mark said, I don't think Cody could ever really be settled down in the way we think of it as.

And like I just said, I try to add in club songs when they have club/party scenes.

If there's a club scene or a party scene, I try to add club songs in. Did you not see my Chemical Brothers selection for the New Year's chapter?